The transmission of data across fiber optic cables is known. However, all prior art systems, particularly those for high data transmission, have separate pathways to receive and transmit data so that the two streams do not intersect and interfere with one another. Enormous industries and standards have developed to service the needs of the United States and the world in this regard with countless thousands of miles of cable laid with pairs of fiber wire strands. The present invention sets forth alternatives to the existing telecommunications paradigm, offering considerable advantages and cost savings.
As set forth in detail hereinbelow, the various embodiments of the present invention leverage the communications industry's Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/International Telecommunication Union (IEEE/ITU) standards for designing and operating Dense Wave Division Multiplex (DWDM) systems over fiber optic cables dedicated for transporting Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) signals in medium to very large gigabit sized payload bandwidths. With regard to the prior art, the overall worldwide communications industry has achieved, during a very short time, considerable improvements in expanding optical link growth to meet incredible demands of multi-gigabit Ethernet transported bandwidths over multitudes of outside plant constructions projects, using fiber optic cable structures encapsulated with bundles of paired glass fiber strands. Fiber cable deployments have dramatically increased in ever-greater numbers, adding higher capacities of fiber strands spanning across the Continental United States and the populated territories of virtually every technologically advanced nation.
As is known in the art, fiber cable deployments are generally implemented using combinations of one or two methods, either through construction of aerial attachments onto utility poles or through direct cable burials along public and private land right-of-ways below earth level with implementations completed for large projects being constructed mostly within densely populated areas. Principally, fiber cables may be made of small, medium or very large bundles of glass fibers, called fiber strands, covered over by a tough outer protective non-metallic plastic layer called the fiber cable sheath. Inside, each individual fiber strand is arranged within a standard color order of identifiable groups of fibers placed into protective buffer tubes placed into strict coded separation. During installation, fiber strands are fused end to end along the fiber route under construction, making physical connections using a joint method called splicing or bonding of strand ends of fibers to extend cable span distances. As discussed, in general practice in the communications industry, fibers selected for applications in communications networks are grouped into two fiber strands called fiber pairs for transporting content in full two-way DWDM communications called fiber payloads via the aforementioned pairing or duplex paradigm.
Additionally, higher quantities of fiber deployments are completed in the U.S. within higher growth regions of metropolitan expanses, with cross-country long haul cable networks linking together large regional areas throughout the U.S. territories. Un-lit fiber strands having no equipment attachments are known as “Dark Fiber” strands or spare unassigned strands, whereas lit fiber strands may comprise light-wave laser equipment, entitled the aforementioned Dense Wave Division Multiplex or DWDM. As is understood, DWDM equipment is typically provisioned to power one fiber strand, using a single laser or multiples of laser generated light sources aligned in specific wavelength order applied by means of photonic laser powered sources with each being transmitted down individual strands of fiber. One or multiples of laser light waves are input into the end of one fiber stand and output the far end opposite fiber strand having traveled long distances, such as approximately eighty kilometers, i.e., the span of light driven distance. It is generally understood that laser-generated light sources offer greater fiber length opportunities, where considerable operating distances may be achieved using laser sourced light wave in form of optical light booster amplifiers called optical repeaters applied on longer fiber routes known as fiber spans. As is understood in the art, these optical gain devices require payload signal breakout access to the fiber pair strand at a physical location point of presence (POP) in order to regenerate the lightwave signal or reach the ultimate user, such as a consumer.
High bandwidth communications links of today's networks are established from two identifiable ends of a fiber link, usually within the communications company POP-provided operating premise and a far end opposite destination location where a customer is served. Typical names for the client's end (for identity purposes) are designated in the industry as “A” Communications Company premise, and a “Z” premise, or Client Premise Equipment (CPE) or far end location or client's POP. Thus, a transmission fiber link may spn from A to Z.
In considering the historical fiber background of several years of fiber deployments, the communications industry has long conformed with a worldwide and significant IEEE and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) DWDM networking standard structured by selected standards body of knowledgeable staff persons being engaged with highly-experienced communications operating companies, manufacturers, engineering firms and consultants who all together, derive and maintain IEEE and ITU system specifications. The IEEE and ITU Standards are known worldwide for their industry posture of ground rules and generally followed for deployment, while abiding by strict open architectures of applicable standards for networking photonic wavelength assignments transmitted over paired two-fiber strands transferring intelligent digital data end to end between two points, previously identified as the aforementioned “A and Z” designated premises.
In particular, these two-way data transmissions were most always deployed as one fiber strand per each direction of transmission, i.e., A to Z and Z to A assigned for transport services, as per the industry operational specifications. Communications manufacturers providing the equipment and network operators deploying and operating DWDM networks strictly adhere to the aforesaid IEEE and ITU standard practices of transmitting DWDM wavelengths along fiber paths, which distribute network intelligent data content such as internet, VoIP voice, data and which oftentimes includes convergence of video payloads of data transmitted and received using two fiber strands. One single fiber strand is thus assigned to transport data per each direction of transmission, each being independent DWDM assigned fiber strands transporting separate payloads transmitted either A to Z or Z to A forming separate POP directions. In this case, two distinct DWDM payloads would in most networks be assigned two fiber strands for networking Multi-Gigabit delivery type systems, the aforementioned pairing or duplex paradigm prevalent today.
There exist a few networks in local short haul transport point-to-point links, but the only lower bandwidth systems that have applied a one fiber strand system do this by means of assigning a different lambda operating wavelength at opposite ends for example, e.g., 1550 nanometers and 1310 nanometers, respectively. Thus, in this narrow fashion two wavelengths are transmitted in two directions of transmission usually for a single strand having 1.0 Gigabit/s or lower data rates of 100 Megabits per fiber strand in rural or local metropolitan distribution systems, all done on a short dedicated fiber.
In this single fiber strand system, however, many applied payload applications have a higher level of light wave complexity and contain individual micron-size Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) signal wavelengths, which are generated at very precise lambda wavelength and bandwidth settings in order to properly operate, making the single fiber strand usage approach impossible. Accordingly, these systems usually use two fiber strands and only operate over short haul fiber links at data rates of 10 Gbits, 40 Gbits, 100 Gbits and 200 Gbits. These wavelengths are available in DWDM standard wavelength channels published under the aforementioned IEEE/ITU established Standards. Both are relatively similar published documents and standards, which specify that both transmit and receive DWDM data networks be transmitted and received on single mode fiber, be transmitted in full two-way directions using one fiber pair, and having one fiber strand per each transmission direction as previously stated. In other words, these systems, to operate properly and effectively, require two fiber strands for transmitting full two-way DWDM signals.
Applicant has found that all current manufacturers of DWDM equipment offer fiber interfaces that require the use of full two-way fibers and dual fiber attachments, as do the manufacturers of optical small form factor laser transmit and receive devices, called enhanced small form-factor pluggable (SFP+) light wave transceiver modules. Considering the aforedescribed past historical background, the rather simple two-fiber strand paradigm of transmission has a long history of deployment throughout the worldwide communications industry, with various hardware devices integrating user payload data multiplexed onto laser generated light waves generally operated at lower speeds of 1.0 Gigabit or less fiber line rate. For example, these low data rates were deployed at much lower density fiber network line rates introduced among Metro Channels and Long Haul cross country DWDM networks.
In another example, during the earlier days of Sonnet deployments, formatted Time Division Multiplex (TDM) signals were used to transport Internet content and user Internet payload signals along worldwide DWDM backbone routes. These systems operated at much lower speed transporting bandwidths, which overlay the Sonnet formats from 1.0 megabits to 2.5 Gigabits with 10 Mbit/s being the maximum TDM (Sonnet) formats. These very low transport speeds are in sharp comparison to current available rates of 10 Gigabits, 40 Gigabits, 100 Gigabits and upwards to 400 Gigabits transmission rates available by today's Ethernet and IP Data rates over DWDM. These early low-to-medium speed data links were setup by assigning Ethernet packetized data bits onto Time Division Multiplex frames containing encoded data bits and placed upon a single mode fiber strand using single end point connections originating at a POP “A”, location data packets directed to travel in two different directions along two fixed fiber photonic injected light wave signals onto fiber strands reaching out to a second distant end location identified as “Z” optical end or premise POP.
A few years ago, the networking of high speed signals were deployed on fiber cables transporting SONNET at standard Optical Carrier-48 (OC-48), and 2.5 Gigabit rates were thought of as being very high speed networks. These cables were made of physical fiber glass strands, forming a solid transmission span extending through a two-fiber-strand interface at both end points, data content arriving after interoperating across intra-site spans and sometimes through hardware repeater optical amplifiers for amplification of data bits maintained the use of two fiber strands, delivering full two-way “east to west” and “west to east” directional transport as two independent sources of intelligent data bit content. Light wave signals transporting a payload of data bits were inserted into the aforedescribed TDM frames to be exchanged from one end to another end point using predefined SONNET protocols controlling intelligent data formats. These formatted frames represented the convergence of video, digital voice, data bits and Internet placed into a SONNET format typically originated from a single “A” location premise located transmit lambda signal as transmit data bits output carried in transmitted to a distant designated “Z” located premise where the data bits were received as input signal by way of lambda signals input to each end receiver.
Fiber transmission of Ethernet framed data was considered a great advancement during this time period and this technology brought about much improvement over analog or the aforementioned Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Sonnet transmission systems. For example, a T1 operated as a lower speed transport system, was the carrier type of choice, and most often deployed prior to the Ethernet using long haul standards advanced in earlier transmission trials. Also, fiber optics were introduced in Time Division Multiplexing systems using T1, Digital Signal 3 (DS3), OC-3, OC-12, OC-48 and finally OC-192 formats. Many of these systems remain operating worldwide today, and all known systems continue to employ the aforesaid two-fiber-strand means for transmission exchange of data.
As noted in this long history of the industry's continuous deployment of the two-fiber-strand standard across different technologies and new systems deployments for transmissions of earlier high speed data, these same two-fiber transport concepts or paradigms have remained constant over a long span of time, even when the costs of transport using two fibers remains expensive, i.e., costing twice that of a single strand application. Indeed, the two-fiber transport paradigms and methods have been in use over many years and remain the standard methodology for transport, even though the Standards Body for Ethernet upgrades have achieved higher digital transmission rates principally accomplished with DWDM formats advanced transport rates. Furthermore, the IEEE and ITU standards groups have not specified that a single fiber strand operation at these Ethernet higher bandwidths and transmission rates would be preferable. Since systems are under development that will soon reach terabit bandwidths, there is a strong need for new technologies, such as set forth in the present invention, to address these ever-increasing technological demands in a more cost-effective manner.
By way of further background, the assignment and use of photonic transport sources are governed by established industry standard formats applying encoded data bits and bytes in compliance with hierarchy signals which conform to established industry standards for the data transmission. These include combined formats of Digital Video Signals, Digital Voice (VoIP) signals with High Speed Data-delivering Internet signals converged into data-formatted packets and framed to Ethernet signal formats for Digital Data Transport and distributed Networks, delivering millions of intelligent data bits and bytes of digital data content, called triple play contents. Content Data in the form of digital data bits and bytes are transported or moved from one end point to another at very high data rate speeds, typically moved inside laser lighted fiber strands at high transport speeds of light transmitted in single fiber strands per fiber route direction with networking bandwidth capacities ranging in low rates and capacity from 100's to 1,000's of Megabits/s and backbone fiber line rates typically reaching 1.0 Gigabit/s and greater, and also reaching to 400 Gigabit/s bandwidths carrying higher DWDM channel counts for transport bandwidth capacity per each deployed light wave or lambda encoded signal and each being referenced in time measured rate.
However, user demands for higher bandwidths continue to increase, and economic resources to network even greater amounts of wideband data for distribution are being distributed among customer premises. Today's market can be characterized as large and growing in demand for even higher bandwidths and is driven by the advancement of Ethernet convergence of Video, Voice and Data services, especially streaming video content. The U.S. Government, State and Local Counties and Municipalities rely upon large capacity links. Many countries and cities across the world are under considerable stress from their constituents to support expansions of broadband networks to businesses and homes at equivalent bandwidths reaching Internet speeds provided in their workplace. Indeed, wideband services transporting Internet, Data, VoIP (voice) and Video have become a driving force for economic reasons in the United States (and elsewhere) as higher rate broadband delivery are being adopted and or targeted to replace the slower speed Internet delivery systems serving both homes and businesses. Demand for even higher bandwidths transported at multi-gigabit rates especially in Metropolitan and nearby surrounding countryside fiber networks will remain high for many years into the future, and will be driven by bandwidth verses costs per megabits delivery, where the increases of the consumer demands can only become greater over time.
In view of the substantial technological challenges to meet the societal demands and the current demands for fiber strand communications paradigm in existing thought, the present invention is directed to a solution that breaks the physical constraints of existing systems, offering an improved paradigm of operation. In particular, the employment of a one fiber strand transport, when deployed in fiber networks, will alleviate some of the aforesaid bottlenecks existing among many fiber routes, especially where fiber cable strand counts in metropolitan distribution routes are not linear in capacity and within many older fiber backbone routes.
In particular, by immediately improving the capacity of these datalinks by a potential 50% gain in transport capacities, without experiencing additional massive financial expenses of deploying new fiber cables, content distribution operators and fiber cable owners would welcome the advancement.